The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) published a guide on protecting factory workers from heat stress (April 2026). It was developed with representatives from across the supply chain, including retailers, brands, manufacturers and material suppliers, and in consultation with stakeholders representing industry, academia, NGOs, international organisations and others.
Human Level’s Take:
- Heat stress — what the ILO terms a “silent killer” — is increasingly on the radar of workers and companies as climate change causes thermometers to tick up and up. Yet, there is no global policy approach to address excessive heat, and some governments aren’t yet setting standards. This puts the focus squarely on suppliers and buyers to take action to protect workers.
- AAFA provides a deep-dive into steps needed to protect factory workers from excessive heat, landing on top essential actions for suppliers and brands and buyers.
- Suppliers, in consultation with workers, can create policies and action plans that kick in when a scientifically-backed heat threshold is reached. Action plans can include components like additional rest breaks and schedule changes to avoid the worst effects of heat. Suppliers can also invest in upgrades like ventilation, fans and cooling systems, in addition to smaller steps like making sure there is sufficient water and shaded or cooled rest areas for workers to take a break. Training and education for workers, supervisors and health staff can help detect the signs of heat stress early on, improving outcomes.
- For their part, brands and buyers are expected to not only set heat expectations for suppliers, but also to help them achieve these expectations. This can be through capacity-building, training and technical support, but it also means changing their own practices to avoid driving up risks for workers. For example, this includes adapting lead times and production planning during hot seasons and offering suppliers flexibility for adjusted workloads and lower output during extreme heat. They can also make sure their own pricing structures enable suppliers to implement worker protection measures without forcing them to cut costs elsewhere.
- AAFA emphasises that there is a shared responsibility between suppliers and brands and buyers. They can work more effectively together by communicating clearly during extreme heat, sharing data to improve heat stress prevention, collaborating on long-term investments, and committing to continuous improvement over one-time compliance.
- And don’t forget: workers play a critical role in identifying risks and solutions. Suppliers and their buyers can centre their perspectives as they are developing heat action plans and prevention and mitigation strategies.
Some key takeaways:
- Rising risks of heat stress: Heat stress comes from exposure to radiant heat from machinery, strenuous work pace, dehydration, poor air and a lack of temperature regulations, putting workers at risk of health effects like heat strokes, chronic endocrine, respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, and even death. The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) cites estimates from the International Labour Organization linking heat to 18,970 deaths and 22.87 million occupational injuries globally every year. Current estimates of morbidity may even be higher than rates reported, as heatstroke and accidents caused by heat-related cognitive impairment are underreported by official statistics. AAFA also points to research from the Cornell Global Labor Institute showing that key garment production countries like India, Pakistan and Cambodia record an average of 100 annual days of temperatures at or greater than 35°C (95°F). The research also showed that, over the past two decades, 17 out of 23 key production areas had increases of over 10% in the average number of days with temperatures of 35°C (95°F) or more — showing that this problem is escalating quickly. AAFA acknowledges that addressing heat stress in factories comes with financial costs and sometimes operational delays, but the issue is urgent and risks violating the most fundamental human rights, making this a top priority for employers and purchasing companies to address.
- The role of suppliers and factories: The report outlines key actions for different value chain actors to manage heat stress. Among its top recommendations for suppliers who own and operate facilities are setting maximum thresholds for workplace heat, triggering a Heat Action Plan that could include additional water and rest breaks, workload shifts and schedule changes. In addition, factories can implement structural mitigation strategies, like ventilation, fans and cooling systems, to prevent or lower the risk of heat stress. Workers, supervisors and health staff need to be engaged in the process, through training, education and medical monitoring that can help identify the symptoms of heat stress. Workers can also be engaged in helping identify heat risks and coming up with solutions. Importantly, these actions are not only on the shoulders of suppliers. Brands and suppliers have a shared responsibility, especially clear communication where there is a need to delay production or reduce output due to excessive heat risk. Together, brands and their suppliers can also review heat-related incidents and data to improve prevention, collaborate on investing in infrastructure like cooling or lower-heat machinery, and agreeing on the importance of continuous engagement and improvement rather than one-time compliance.
- The role of brands and buyers: In addition to their shared responsibilities with suppliers, brands and buyers have their own role. This includes setting heat stress expectations in supplier codes of conduct and engaging suppliers in ongoing conversations about risks and challenges they face. Beyond simply setting a standard, it’s important to support suppliers with capacity-building to implement expectations, like training, guidance and technical support. Companies also need to change their own practices to ensure they are not increasing heat stress risk for supply chain workers; for example, aligning lead times and production planning with seasonal heat risks, allowing flexibility of adjusted work hours or daily outputs during extreme heat, and avoiding the need for excessive overtime, especially during extreme heat. Another key step is ensuring pricing is fair and accounts for the cost of implementing worker protection measures, as there is a risk of putting downward pressure on suppliers that pushes them to cut costs elsewhere.
